Facing a contemporary issue, the Portola Valley Theatre Conservatory in partnership with Valley Presbyterian Church will present “The Laramie Project,” on two weekends — Nov. 3-5 and Nov. 10-12 — at the Portola Valley church.
The play is the true story of Matthew Shepard, a young man who was murdered in Laramie, Wyoming, in 1998, the victim of a hate crime perpetrated by two of his peers solely because he was gay. The news prompted a New York acting company to travel to Laramie and conduct some 200 interviews with the town’s residents; that work led to the play.
At a time when mainline congregations are struggling with gender issues and the ordination of gay and lesbian ministers, the Rev. Cheryl Goodman-Morris, conservatory director and minister of worship and arts at Valley Presbyterian Church, suggested producing this play to the conservatory board and church leadership.
She said that four years ago she had seen “an amazing, moving, beautiful and powerful production” of the play that made a profound impression on her.
“The story, told through the eyes of the Laramie townspeople, is extremely moving, human and thought-provoking,” she said. The play “does not try to sway a person one way or another about the gay issue, but it does call on us to examine how we treat those who live their lives differently than our own.”
In the Portola Valley production, 20 actors from the community cover 69 roles.
The performances are at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday each weekend in Lane Family Hall at Valley Presbyterian Church, 945 Portola Road.
The play is recommended for adults and students in eighth grade and up. Suggested donation is $20 for adults and $10 for youths. Call the church office at 851-8282, ext. 411, to purchase ticket.
Contributions from individuals and nonprofit organizations are underwriting the production costs, said Tom Kelley, who has been chair of the Portola Valley Theatre Conservatory since it was founded in 1993. Proceeds will benefit these nonprofits groups: Parents, Families, Friends of Lesbians and Gays; the National Association of Peer Programs; the United Religions Initiative; and the Portola Valley Children’s Conservatory.
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